Chapter 5 — Khuong Nguyet's Diary

During recess, everyone's topic revolved around this great earthquake. I sat in a chair flipping through books, the corner of my eye glanced at Hua Binh Thu in the corner. He sat there quietly, his face gloomy, his knuckles holding the pen white. He was abandoned by Ta Canh Hoa. The Diep family and the Ta family were originally intermarried, the two families were evenly matched. Under the strong oppression of the Diep family, Ta Canh Hoa pledged to cut off all relations with his stepchild. Hua Binh Thu, your protective umbrella is no longer there. Ta Viem is back. He became thinner, his cheekbones protruded, dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were sharper and crueler than ever before. He walked straight towards Hua Binh Thu. Everyone held their breath. Ta Viem grabbed Hua Binh Thu's collar, pulled him from his seat, and threw him hard to the ground.
“Hua Binh Thu.” He gritted his teeth and said sarcastically, "No, I should call you Ta Binh Thu."
Hua Binh Thu tried to stand up, but Ta Viem stepped on his face with one foot, crushing it with force.
“An illegitimate child, a bastard who cannot see the light.”
Ta Viem bowed his head and looked at him from above, his voice was not loud, but every word was clear:
"Do you deserve to sit on the same level as me? You only deserve to be trampled under my feet."
"Does your mother know how vile her son is? Oh, I forgot, your mother is dead, no one taught her."
Hua Binh Thu's body began to tremble, not from fear, but from anger. But his face was trampled on the ground, no expression could be seen. Only the hand that wasn't stepped on, the nails dug deep into the palm, oozing blood.
"It turns out that Hua Binh Thu is the illegitimate son of the Ta family. On the outside, he has a nice figure, but behind his back he's so dirty."
"And you dare to openly and honestly be Ta Viem's classmate, you're really trying to make people disgusted."
The group of classmates gathered around, watching coldly and sarcastically. The illegitimate child is the common enemy of all rich young masters and ladies. I stood up and said coldly: "That's enough." Ta Viem raised his eyes to look at me, the tears under his eyes were almost overflowing: "Do you still want to protect it?"
“I told you, he is the one I protect.” I looked into his eyes, "Do you want to openly confront me?"
Ta Viem stared at me for a few seconds, then slowly retracted his legs. I bent down to help Hua Binh Thu up. There were shoe prints and scratches on his face, and his lips were trembling.
“Follow me.”
Hua Binh Thu followed me and silently walked out of the classroom. Leaving the school gate, Hua Binh Thu always followed me.
“Where do you want to take me?” His voice was hoarse and hoarse.
“Let's take you home.”
I stopped a taxi and reported the address. South of the city, the village inside the city. The car drove for forty minutes, the more it went, the more it went, the houses became lower and lower, the streets became narrower and narrower. Finally the car stopped at the beginning of a narrow alley, the taxi driver hesitated for a moment: "I can't get inside anymore." I paid to get off the bus, Hua Binh Thu followed behind, wanting to talk again.
“Thi Nhan, why is your house here?” In the end, Hua Binh Thu still couldn't help but ask.
I didn't answer, continued walking forward. Turning three corners, I stopped in front of a four-story building. The hallway light was broken a long time ago, and the red paint on the iron door was patchy like scars.
“This is my previous home.” I said.
Hua Binh Thu was stunned. I pushed the door open, into the dark, smelly hallway Mold blows on my face. The stairs creaked. Third floor, first apartment on the left. The key was still in the gap above the door frame. I tiptoed out and inserted it into the lock. The door opens.
9
The house is very small, the living room and kitchen are connected together, with a folding table, two chairs, and an old wardrobe. There was a smell of dust in the air, everything was covered with a layer of dust, but neatly placed.
“Is it just you in your house?” Hua Binh Thu stood at the door, her voice carrying confusion.
“Not alone.” I pushed open the door to the room on the right.
It was a bedroom, very small, only fitting a single bed and a desk. There were textbooks stacked on the desk, and a few used pencils were blunt in their pens. The walls are covered with certificates of merit, from first grade elementary school to high school, every one of them is first class. Between the certificates of merit were placed a few photos. The girl in the photo has her hair tied in a ponytail, a brilliant smile, and her eyes curved into a new moon. Hua Binh Thu's face changed in that moment. From confusion to shock, from shock to fear, layer by layer of discoloration.
“There is also a sister who passed away.” I said, "Her name is Khuong Nguyet."
I walked into the room, picked up a photo on the desk. That's a photo Khuong Nguyet took when she was three years old. She puckered her mouth and kissed my face. She made me laugh. When mom pressed the shutter button, both of us were blurry, only the kiss was clear.
“Do you know how she died?” I turned my head and smiled and asked Hua Binh Thu.
Hua Binh Thu took a step back, her back leaning against the door frame.
"I do not know." His voice was shaking, “I just know she jumped off the building……”
“Jump from building.” I repeated these two words, took a step closer to him, "Yes, he jumped to his death."
“Do you know what she was wearing the day she jumped off the building?”